Finding My Forever
by Twisted Vixen
Summary: Four boys…two couples, once separated by fate. But with love on their side, they won’t let a little thing like fate stop them from getting back what they lost. Sequel to Letting Go and Living On; AU SasuNaru, ShikaChouji, mentions of past ShikaNaru


**Summary:** Sequel to Letting Go and Living On. Four boys…two couples, were once separated by fate. But with love and destiny on their side, they won't let a little thing like that stop them from getting back what they lost. AU Mostly SasuNaru, some ShikaChouji, mentions of past ShikaNaru

**a/n:** Well I've had lots of requests for the AU sequel. So here it is! If you haven't read **Letting Go and Living On**, I suggest you read that first as this story won't make much sense without it. This is a SasuNaru story. However, since the focus was mostly on Naruto and Shikamaru in the first story, I'll be keeping it that way here. Don't worry, you'll see Chouji too. You won't see Sasuke until later though.

**Warnings:** Boy x Boy relationships. No lemons this time though.

**Disclaimer:** Is Naruto with any of the hot guys from the series? No? Then I don't own Naruto.

* * *

**Finding My Forever  
**

**

* * *

**"Well, here we are!"

The white car turned and pulled into a gravel driveway and slowly drove up the path until it stopped in front of a two story house. The back door opened and a child jumped out the back and ran around the large yard with an exuberance that only a typical five year old would display. Two more doors opened and a tall handsome blond man and a woman with long hair in a brilliant shade of red emerged.

"So, honey, what do you think?" The blond asked with a grin. The red-head smiled serenely as she looked at the home.

"Well, it's in the middle of nowhere, but it's nice." She elbowed her husband. "I'll reserve judgment until I see the inside."

"Of course." He said with a grin and steered his wife toward the front door and turned his head back toward his young son who was having fun running all over the extensive yard. "Come on chibi. Want to see the inside?"

"Ok dad!" The child was quite cute and was the spitting image of his father with blond hair and blue eyes. He moved as fast as he could with his little chunky legs to catch up with his parents. He caught up and gave a huge smile as he wrapped his little arms around his father's leg, who laughed heartily at the action. He leaned down and picked up the young blond.

"So, want to help me open the door son?" The little one nodded enthusiastically with a giant grin on his face. He watched his father pull out a key and unlock the door. "Ready?"

"Yep!"

"Alright...push." They pushed the door together and it opened wide to a large living room. The sun shone through the uncovered windows, spreading it's rays over the hardwood floors and white walls of the empty room. Both blonds look to see if it had the approval of the woman in their lives. She gave them a smile and a nod as she stepped in and walked past the room and into the kitchen. Once she saw the large space for cooking and even enough room for a table to eat at, she was sold.

"Minato?" A blond head peeked around the corner with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes Kushina?"

"We'll take it." She said with a smile and her husband couldn't help the happy grin that took over his face. He looked down at his mini clone.

"Hey chibi, lets go check out your new room!"

"Yay!" The youngster ran up the stairs, not even pausing to see if his father was following.

"Minato, will you stop calling our son that? He does have a name you know."

"Why? I think it's cute."

"It won't be cute when he's 15 years old in the academy and his friends tease him for being called chibi."

"Oh fine, fine..._Naruto_, wait up."

**xxx**

Naruto was happily playing outside on the back porch while Kushina cooked dinner. Minato read the newspaper in his study. They'd been in the house for a week now and were slowly getting settled into a routine. There were still boxes to unpack, but they were pushed off to the side and out of the way so they couldn't be seen. It was quite different from the apartment in the city they left behind. Everything was so close together there. There was never any privacy and the sounds of music, people, and cars were the usual background noise. There was so much space here, inside and out.

Here in the outskirts of Konoha, it was so quiet, it was almost unnerving for the first few days. And their next door neighbors - who they haven't even met yet - were a quarter of a mile away. Beyond that, it was another quarter mile before the next property. Naruto loved having all the extra space to explore. Of course, they set boundaries to make sure the young boy wouldn't wander too far. Minato and Kushina loved it, knowing that by having more room to roam, Naruto would finally have a way to expend all that bottled up energy. They loved their son, but he could easily be tiring at times because it was like the boy never slowed down. He had boundless energy that he had no way of releasing in such a cramped apartment.

Finally, husband and wife could have some peace and quiet.

There was a knock at the door and Kushina peeked out from her place in the kitchen to see two silhouettes through her curtains.

"Minato! Could you get that?"

Minato good-naturedly grumbled as he went to the door and opened it. On the other side was a smiling woman holding what looked to be a large plate covered by a top. She had dark hair and dark eyes. Next to her was a man in a ponytail with his hands in his pockets looking like he'd been dragged into being there. Next to him was a young child, same ponytail and same exact expression. The blond smiled at the trio.

"Hello there. Can I help you?"

"Hello. My name is Yoshino Nara. This lazy bum right here is my husband Shikaku and the little one is my son Shikamaru. We're your neighbors down the road. We just thought it would be nice to welcome you to the area."

"Oh, that's nice of you all. Nice to meet you, by the way. I'm Minato Namikaze. Come on in and meet my family." Minato opened the door for them and they stepped inside. "Honey, bring the chibi in here. We have company."

Kushina walked in a minute later with Naruto behind her. "Hello. It's nice to finally meet our neighbors. I'm Kushina. This is our son Naruto." The little blond waved shyly, slightly hiding behind his mother's skirt.

"Oh, he's so cute! And this is for you. It's a cake." Yoshino passed over the covered plate to Kushina.

"Thank you." The red-head couldn't help but take a peek under the cover. It might not be good for her figure, but she loved sweets. "Oh, it looks delicious. I was just cooking dinner. Why don't you all stay?"

"Oh no, we don't want to impose."

"Nonsense. Kushina came from a big family so she always makes more than enough food." Minato replied. "Besides, it would be nice to get to know our new neighbors. With trying to get settled in, we haven't had a chance to get around much yet. So much to unpack, you know."

"Yes, unpacking is so troublesome." Shikaku finally decided to join the conversation.

"Alright then. If you insist." Yoshina said with a shrug and a smile. The other couple nodded and smiled. She knelt in front of the young blond. "So, Naruto, how old are you?"

"I'm five!" He smiled proudly while holding up five fingers.

"Oh wonderful!" She clapped and pulled her own son off the chair and dragged him next to her. "This is Shikamaru, my son. He's five years old too." Naruto grinned at the news that he had someone his age.

"Wanna go outside and play?"

"I guess." The lazy youngster shrugged his shoulders and followed the bouncing blond out to the back porch.

Kushina smiled as the two boys left. "Don't get dirty now. Dinner will be ready soon," she called to them. Naruto wasn't even listening. He was too busy chatting away to his new friend.

Now that they were outside, Naruto went through his various action figures, intent on finding one for Shikamaru, who had already found a spot on the porch to lay on and was staring up into the sky.

"Here. You wanna play ninja? You can use this one." Naruto generously held out a little figure in green.

"Nah."

Naruto pouted for a second before he looked down at the boy, then looked up at the sky. "Whatcha doin?" he asked innocently.

"Watching the clouds."

"Why?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "Because," he replied as if it was the obvious answer.

Naruto, not wanting to be left out, and figuring it was some sort of game he'd never played, got on his back next to him and looked up. "What do you do?"

"You see that cloud right there?" A little finger pointed straight up.

"Uh huh."

"It looks like a cat. What does it look like to you?"

"It looks like..." Naruto looked intently at the sky for a moment with his tongue poked out of the side of his mouth. Then he giggled, "...like a bunny rabbit."

"No it doesn't." The dark haired boy rolled his eyes.

"Uh huh."

"Troublesome idiot." He mumbled and elbowed the giggling blond.

And that was how Naruto made his first friend.

* * *

**Age 8**

"Alright class. Please turn your math books to page 130."

Naruto grumbled about having to do maths and pulled his book from his desk. He glanced over at his friend who didn't even move and rolled his eyes. Naruto and Shikamaru were now best friends. Also next to them was a boy by the name of Kiba. He was their other neighbor farther down the road. His family owned a kennel and trained dogs. Naruto loved going over and playing with all the different dogs.

It was quite a strange trio of friends. Kiba and Naruto were a lot alike...Both too hyper to sit still for very long. Both were also quick tempered. Shikamaru, on the other hand, was quite content to sit at a desk with his head down. The other two envied him. He was so smart, he didn't even have to listen to the lessons.

Kiba grinned and elbowed the blond. "Wake him up."

"Why? It won't matter. He'll just fall back asleep anyway." Kiba shrugged and decided it wasn't worth the hassle.

"So you coming over after school to see the pups?" One of the family dogs had a litter of puppies a week ago. Naruto had practically begged his parents to let him have one of them. Unfortunately, they denied him. So, he had to content himself with coming over and seeing them when he could.

"Yeah, I'll come."

"Awesome! Mom says she's gonna let me keep one of em. You can help me decide which one."

"Really? Cool!"

"Too loud." The boys heard a mumble at Naruto's side. Both of them snickered and poked at the lazy boy.

"Boys, is there something you would like to share with the class?" Naruto and Kiba snapped to attention and looked to the front where their teacher was giving them a scary glare.

"No Iruka-sensei." They chorused. As soon as the teacher turned away, Naruto pouted and grumbled.

"How come we always get in trouble for talking, but he never gets in trouble for sleeping?"

* * *

**Age 10**

It was the first day of a new school year. Naruto fiddled with the collar on his neck. He hated wearing collared shirts. Stupid uniforms. Kiba walked up to them looking just as uncomfortable as Naruto.

"This is stupid. Why do we have to wear these dumb uniforms?" Kiba asked with a growl as he tugged at the collar for the upteenth time that morning.

"You two complain too much." Shikamaru remarked while he remained slumped against the wall looking up at the clouds, hardly caring what else was happening on the playground.

"You don't like it either Shika." Naruto replied. Shikamaru shrugged.

"It's too troublesome to complain."

Naruto bounced from one foot to the other. He never could sit still for very long. Kiba had hidden Akamaru, his puppy, in his jacket and sat playing with him, hoping to be able to sneak him into the school.

"Nya Nya!"

"Leave me alone!"

The three friends looked over at the noise so close to them. There were two boys they knew from last year bullying another boy they never saw before. They figured he must be new. And he looked close to tears. Naruto's eyes grew dark with anger. He never liked bullies.

"Hey! Leave him alone!" He yelled and left his spot against the wall to stalk toward the taller boys. Naruto was still one of the shorter ones in the class, but was also one of the toughest. Kiba was on his heels, planning to defend his friend. Shikamaru sighed and shook his head, but followed the other two. They would probably do something stupid that would get them all in trouble.

"And what are you gonna do about it shrimp?" The first boy asked, staring down at the shorter blond trying to look intimidating. That look didn't last very long as Kiba and Shikamaru strolled up next to their friend with their arms crossed. Kiba growled at the boys angrily, already getting into a fighting stance with his fists up. Kiba never minded a good fight just for the heck of it. He also knew Naruto had no problem taking care of himself. His father, Uncle Minato - as he and Shika called him - was adept at all kinds of fighting styles and was teaching the three of them in his spare time. Better give the idiot bullies fair warning though.

"I suggest you do as my friend says."

A stare down commenced between the boys until it was interrupted by the bell ringing. The two bullies took one last glance at the trio in front of them before they turned away and ran off to their class. Kiba laughed and wiped his hands together.

"That was too easy. I was hoping for a fight."

"You're so violent Kiba." Shikamaru replied and then looked at the cowering boy on the ground in front of them. It was easy to see why he was bullied. He was bigger than a lot of the kids and he seemed to be pretty reserved. He couldn't help but smile at the other boy though and knelt down to his level.

"What's your name?"

"Ch-Chouji." The boy looked up tentatively to see the boys' reaction. Shikamaru smiled again and held out his hand.

"Nice to meet you Chouji. I'm Shikamaru. My friends call me Shika." Chouji slowly raised a hand and shook Shikamaru's. Then Shikamaru stood and pulled Chouji so he stood as well.

"I'm Naruto. This is Kiba." They had walked up behind Shikamaru. Naruto sent the new boy a grin and a wave.

"Yo." Kiba said.

"Thank you...for what you did." Chouji looked down blushing slightly. Shikamaru thought it was cute.

"Eh...it was nothin." Kiba replied.

"We better get to class before we're late." Naruto said. He really didn't want to be late on the first day of school. His dad would kill him. The group of four walked to the double doors. "Say, Chouji, what class are you in?"

"Uh..." He opened his schedule and glanced at it. "4B"

"Awesome! We're in that class too. Come on!" Naruto skipped ahead. Kiba ran after him. Shikamaru and Chouji ambled along slowly.

"You sure you don't mind me being with you guys?" Chouji asked shyly.

Shikamaru mumbled a 'troublesome' under his breath. "Nah."

And that was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

* * *

**Age 12**

Shikamaru sat up sharply. He looked over at his alarm clock. It read 1:30 in the morning.

"Troublesome." He mumbled. Lately he'd been having weird dreams. Dreams of a whole different world. A Konoha of ninjas, demons, and powerful enemies. His friends were the same friends he had now - Naruto, Kiba, Chouji. Their teacher was there, Iruka-sensei. The girls in his class he tried to avoid, Ino and Sakura, were there too. There were more people his age who were ninja with him, but he hadn't met anyone like them yet.

The first time he told his father about the strange dreams, he'd mumbled a 'troublesome' and told him not to tell his mother or he'd be blamed for letting him stay up late and watch TV. Of course, it was considered a one time occurrence and his father hadn't thought much about it anymore. But he had, because the dreams didn't go away. In fact, they got more and more descriptive as time went on. And they were even in chronological order. With a sigh, he got up out of bed. Sleep wasn't going to come again at the moment so he might as well get something to drink and sit out on the back porch.

"Can't sleep son?" It seemed someone else had the same idea.

Shikamaru shook his head. Then he yawned and rubbed his hands over his sleepy eyes. "Troublesome dreams again."

He sat on the porch next to his father and waited while the older man set up the game pieces for Shogi and placed the board between them. "Want to tell me about it?"

"I guess... My team was doing some troublesome mission. And I had to keep hearing Ino complain and I got sick of it. Then a bunch of ninja came out of nowhere and ambushed us. We won, but Chouji got hurt pretty bad. I almost panicked but Ino did some medical jutsu that made him a bit better. After that it just gets weirder."

"Son, they're just dreams. Don't let them upset you." Shikaku replied while watching his son take one of his pieces.

"But they're not just dreams dad. You might think I'm crazy, but I know they're not. For the last few months, I've been seeing my entire life from the time I was a young child up to my teenage years as a ninja. I've seen friends leave home. I've seen death, destruction, watched good friends die, saw a traitor try to destroy Konoha. And it's every single night. Some are good dreams, some are bad. But they all revolve around this entirely different life."

"Hmm..."

"Dad, do you believe in reincarnation?"

Shikaku stroked his beard as he thought of what to say. "Can't say. I've never really thought about it before son. You think that's what all these dreams are about? Another life?"

"I don't know. I can't see any other way to explain it and I've thought about it for a while."

"It's possible."

**xxx**

Naruto sat up suddenly with a gasp, his eyes leaking tears. He looked around his room and, with a sigh, flopped back down on his bed.

The dream was so vivid this time. Sometimes they were murky. This time, it was so real, he felt like he was there. It scared him how real the dreams seemed...this life full of ninja. Everyone he knew were in the dreams, as well as lots of people he didn't know. What made him the saddest though was that his parents weren't there. The Naruto in his dreams had no family. They had been killed by a demon...a demon that was sealed inside him at birth. Everyone in the village treated him horribly, thinking he was the demon. And though he was a ninja, he didn't seem to be a very good one. And he was a total goofball. Really...who the hell would wear orange as a ninja?

Dream Naruto's team had self destructed all because of his best friend who left to avenge his brother. His own sensei didn't bother to teach him anything until he had already trained with someone else. The girl he thought he was in love with was stuck on his best friend. His 'brother' Gaara, a demon carrier like him, almost died.

But this time was the worst. Naruto had finally found Sasuke, the boy he considered his best friend. The team would take him home. He just knew it would work. But Sasuke wouldn't leave. Instead, he almost killed him again. What kind of person would try to kill their best friend, not just once, but twice?

"Sasuke..." Naruto whispered in the darkness. He wasn't sure why exactly, but he felt as if deep down in his heart, he knew him. But he'd never met anyone by that name before. He wondered, who was this Sasuke? And would he ever meet him here?

**xxx**

Kiba looked at his friends. On one side, Shika was sleeping silently, his head buried under his arms. That was typical. Not so typical was what was happening on his other side. Naruto had his head propped up by one hand and nodded slightly as he took deep breaths in and out in his own version of sleeping. Kiba shook his head then raised his arms and brought them down on both their backs.

Shikamaru turned his head to the side so one eye showed enough to glare at the dog lover. Naruto yelped and jumped up. It's a good thing this was their study period and no teacher was around. "What the hell was that for dog breath?"

"You were both asleep. I had to wake somebody up to talk to." Kiba replied with a mischievous grin.

"Talk to Chouji."

"But Naru-chibi...I wanna talk to you." Naruto punched the brunet on the arm.

"Jerk! Don't call me that."

Chouji munched on some hidden chips and laughed at the two boys' antics. Shikamaru glanced at his other friend

"Those idiots are too troublesome to deal with." Chouji laughed again. Louder so that the two loudmouths could hear him, Shikamaru said, "Can a guy sleep in peace?"

"Yeah Kiba! I was trying to sleep here." Naruto added his two cents worth.

"You're in school! You're not supposed to be sleeping."

**xxx**

Kiba leaned out the passenger side truck window and grinned at his two friends who jumped out of the back. "See you guys tomorrow. Could you try sleeping this time so you can stay awake in class?"

"Shut up Kiba!" Naruto yelled. The truck sped off, leaving Naruto and Shikamaru looking at the cloud of dust. They walked through the front door and dropped their bookbags on the floor next to their shoes. "Mom, I'm home!"

"I'm in the kitchen sweetie. Is Shika and Kiba with you?"

"Just Shika today." Naruto gave his mom a hug as soon as he got in the kitchen, then stole a cookie that was still cooling on the rack.

"Hey Aunt Kushina." Shikamaru swiped a cookie of his own.

"Hello Shika."

Naruto pulled his lazy friend along. "We're going out back."

"Alright. Not too long though. I'm sure you and Shika have homework."

"Yeah yeah, alright." Naruto grumbled.

Outside on the porch, Shikamaru took up residence in his normal spot and looked up at the clouds. Naruto sat on the steps, indecision making him bite his bottom lip. Finally, he came to a decision and turned to face his friend.

"Hey Shika."

"Hm?"

"This is gonna sound really really weird, but do you ever dream of another world?" Shikamaru tensed, but Naruto didn't notice. He glanced at the fidgety blond before looking back up to the sky.

"What do you mean?"

"Uh...well...like... Ok, look, I've been having these weird dreams lately where I'm still me, but I'm in a totally different Konoha. You're there, so is Kiba, and Chouji, Sakura, Ino and a bunch of other people...some I know, some I don't. Anyway, you and I...well, all of us...are ninja." Naruto mumbled softly by the end and looked down so as not to see the look he figured would be on his best friend's face. He just knew Shika would think he was crazy.

"No, I don't think you're crazy." Naruto's eyes snapped up to meet Shikamaru's who was now sitting up across from him. "I've had the same dreams. Every night for the last few months. So you've had them too?" Naruto nodded. "I've been wondering lately if maybe what we're seeing in our dreams was our past life."

"You mean that reincarnation kinda stuff?"

"Yeah."

"Weird."

"Yeah."

"There's a boy who is part of Team 7...the other Naruto's team. His name is Sasuke."

"Yeah, your best friend who leaves Konoha and goes to Orochimaru. I've seen those dreams already."

"If you're right about this whole past life thing, I wonder if we'll meet another Sasuke."

"Who knows?"

"Hey! I've got an idea. Maybe we should write down everything we dream from now on and go over it when we can."

"Too troublesome."

"Everything to you is troublesome."

"True."

"So you'll do it?"

"Yeah, fine, I'll do it."

"Cool."

"What a drag."

* * *

**Age 16**

Four years had passed and Shikamaru and Naruto found out that no one else they knew were having the dreams except them.

Over the last few years, things had gotten even weirder. Once they moved on to high school, they were all enrolled in Konoha Gifted Academy. It was a senior high school for smarter students. Naruto may not be a genius like Shikamaru, but he was definitely smart enough to get in. How Kiba got in, they would never know. The Inuzukas must have known someone influential. Chouji made it in as well, so the gang was all together again.

The two were both shocked to see more people from their dreams. It started with the Hyuugas. Neji and Hinata. Then a boy named Shino. Many of their teachers were people from the other Konoha, as well. Kakashi-sensei, Asuma-sensei, Kurenai-sensei and quite a few more. And the startling thing was that all of them had the same personalities as their dream versions. Kakashi-sensei was always late and read porn. Asuma-sensei was a chain smoker and always challenged Shikamaru to games to keep him awake and interested. Neji still had the same stick up his ass that he had before, although he was beginning to warm up to the Namikaze charm. Hinata was timid and shy. Shino was quiet and interested in bugs.

Now that he thought about it, Shikamaru knew that Kiba's family owned and trained dogs, just as they did in his dreams. Chouji was the same as before too. The only real difference was Naruto. He had his family, he didn't have a demon sealed inside him, and he was well liked by everyone. He was also much smarter. Although, he was beginning to wonder if the dream Naruto only acted like an idiot because of circumstances.

They continued to record their dreams as they had them and shared them each week. They'd found out some good things, some bad things, and a few disturbing things. The most disturbing right now though was that Shikamaru found out that in the other Konoha, he had feelings for his best friend Chouji. Just last night he had dreamed of having sex with him. He woke up feeling quite hot and sticky. And now he could hardly look Chouji in the eye. Right now, he had no clue what to do. Did he have feelings for Chouji or was it just the dreams of his past life inducing him into having these confusing feelings? He was hoping his friend wouldn't notice his weird behavior. No such luck though. Chouji brought it up while they were eating lunch on the roof of the school

"What's wrong Shika?"

"Nothing." Shikamaru mumbled. He kept telling himself not to look up.

"You sure? You're quieter than normal. And that's really quiet."

"I'm fine Chouji. Really." He risked a glance up at the cheery face and immediately ended up blushing and looked down again.

Damn troublesome dreams! He sighed. All of this was too much to deal with. He laid in the grass and looked up at the clouds. Hopefully that would soothe him and help him clear his mind.

Of course, it didn't help that Chouji decided to stay with him.

Neither said a word as they looked up at the clouds. It should've been a good thing. Instead it made things worse. All Shikamaru did was think of the teenager lying next to him...the way his skin had felt as his fingers glided over it, the way he had moaned for him, the way he screamed his name...

Well, crap! Shikamaru looked down and then jumped up as he realized he had thought himself into a growing problem that couldn't be dealt with in his friend's, or whatever other description Chouji would fall under, presence.

"Where are you going?"

"I forgot something. I'll meet you in class."

**xxx**

Naruto snuck out of his bedroom window. It wasn't a frequent past time of his, but it was an emergency. His destination was quite a bit down the road, but he could see the porch light like a beacon in the darkness. He needed to talk to Shikamaru. And he needed to talk to him now.

He got about halfway there when he started wishing he had taken the car. It was a longer trek than he thought. But, he was halfway there now, so there was no point in going back. He didn't dare look down at his watch. Shikamaru was going to kill him.

But he couldn't talk to anyone else about this. Not about...Sa-... No. He couldn't think of it right now. If he did, he would start bawling in the middle of the field.

Finally, Naruto made it to his friend's house. He grabbed some small rocks and started lobbing them one by one against Shikamaru's bedroom window. It took a good 10 minutes, but finally the window opened and the dark head poked out.

"I'll kill you Namikaze. Do you know what time it is?"

"No you won't. And no I don't."

"It's two a.m."

"But I need to talk to you." Shikamaru didn't say a word. "Please?" He sighed.

"Fine." Naruto flashed a tired grin and ran to the back door and bounced from foot to foot as he waited for the door to open. No lights came on, but he heard the lock turn and Shikamaru opened the door. He walked out barefoot onto the back porch and closed the door behind him. Then he stood opposite Naruto with his arms crossed and an eyebrow raised. Naruto's first fleeting thought was that he looked good with his hair out of the high ponytail he constantly wore. He shook his head at that. Where did that thought come from anyway?

"Uh...hi?" He began, his hand rubbing the back of his head in a way that was purely Naruto, no matter what life he lived, past or present.

"You better have a really good reason for waking me."

A few moments after those words were said, Naruto's grin crumbled and he crumpled to the wooden deck. Tears that he had held back over the long walk to the house overflowed it's banks and fell freely down his cheeks. Shikamaru knelt in front of his distraught friend. Although, if his dreams of late were any indication, he might be able to guess what the problem was. "Naruto? What's wrong?"

"H-He l-left me Shika. Sasuke was right there and...and I know he felt it...but he l-left m-me."

"Shh...it's ok Naruto. Let it out." Shikamaru wrapped his arms around Naruto as he started sobbing into his shoulder. The lazy young man felt like he was back in the other Konoha. He'd already dreamed of comforting Naruto through this. It's a good thing his dreams seemed to run a few days ahead of Naruto's. Still, he grimaced slightly as his shirt grew a wet patch where the blond's head lay.

"Why didn't he stay? Was I not enough for him?" Naruto asked through his sobs.

"That isn't it Naruto and you know it."

"Then why-" It was too troublesome to explain in Shikamaru's opinion, but he did it anyway for Naruto's sake.

"Because Sasuke had issues. And even though he loved you, there were too many bad memories for him to stay. Even if you made new memories, it wouldn't be enough to counteract all the bad memories he had to relive over and over again for so many years in his dreams." He was getting a cramp, so he shifted himself into a better position on the stairs and moved Naruto so he was sitting on the step below his and let the blond lean back against him.

"You and I, we don't know what it's like to watch every single family member die. Not just die, but to be slaughtered one by one all in one night. To see the streets full of blood and bodies of people you saw every day, people who fed you, talked to you, loved you. Even worse was to know it was your own brother who did the deed and made you see it all through his eyes. No matter what reason it was done, whether they deserved it or not, that's what Sasuke relived in his dreams every night. It was a nightmare he lived with for the rest of his life. If you were in his position, do you think you would find it so easy to stay in the place you grew up? This is what Sasuke was faced with. I can't say whether he made the right choice or not. But he made the only choice he thought he could make for his sanity."

Naruto sighed and wiped his tears with his sleeve. "But...it isn't fair."

"Yeah, I know. But who said life was fair? Besides, didn't Sasuke promise you something? Hmm?"

"He said...in the next life, I'd be his." Naruto said softly.

"There you go. Now you have something you can look forward to." Shikamaru smiled and ruffled the blond locks.

"You really think he might be here?" A touch of hope crept into the innocent voice. Shikamaru shrugged.

"Well, maybe not in Konoha. But somewhere in this time? Probably. We've seen just about everyone else haven't we?"

Naruto nodded. He felt hope bloom in his heart and he couldn't help but smile. Sasuke was alive somewhere. He just hasn't met him yet. But they would find each other somehow. They had to. Now that he had cried out his tears and shared his pain, he felt exhaustion sneak up on him and he yawned. Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

"Troublesome blond. Come on. You can sleep here. I'll leave a note for mom to call your house in the morning and let your folks know you're still alive."

"Thanks Shika. You're the best."

"Whatever, idiot."

* * *

**Age 17**

Shikamaru had been avoiding him for the last few days. And Naruto couldn't figure out why. He didn't remember doing anything lately that would have made Shika mad. So, since Shika was spending all his time with Chouji, Naruto figured he would hang out with Kiba.

"He's still avoiding you?" Kiba asked.

Naruto glanced at the heavy arm that went over his shoulder. "Yeah."

"And he hasn't said why?"

"He hasn't said a word to me."

"Weird." Kiba walked off and grabbed a rake and tossed it Naruto's way. "Catch."

Naruto saw it coming and let it drop while he glared at Kiba. "I'm not doing your chores. I came here to hang out."

Kiba shrugged. "Hang out...chores...same thing."

"Is not."

"Look blondie, the sooner you help me with this, the sooner we can chill." Naruto grumbled, but went ahead and grabbed the rake.

"Oh alright, fine."

The two teens worked for a while in silence. Of course, Naruto eventually broke it. "So, when are you ever going to ask Hinata out?"

Kiba dropped the bag of dog food he had been carrying, startled by the question. "Huh?"

"You heard me, dog breath."

"What makes you think I like her?" Naruto rolled his eyes.

"Kiba, it's so obvious. You practically drool every time she passes you by. It's not like she would say no. She likes you too, I think."

Kiba blushed slightly and shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, she's a Hyuuga. She might as well be royalty and I might as well be a peasant. You're wrong, she probably hardly notices I'm alive."

Naruto smacked Kiba upside the head. "Idiot! You'd let who she's related to stop you? Hinata's not like the rest of them and you know it. And I doubt she'll care about who you are. Hell, you could take her to the closest ramen stand for cheap food and I think she'd be happy just because she's with you. In fact, you should invite her out here to see the dogs. I bet she'd like them. She seems like a nature lover. At least to me anyway."

Kiba wolfishly grinned at the idea. "That's not a bad plan! Girls always like cute stuff. All I have to do is bring her around some of the cute little fluffy dogs and she'll love it. Then I'll make her fall for me!"

"Well, I didn't exactly mean it like that..."

**xxx**

Naruto woke up with a gasp, sat up and jumped out of bed. What he just saw shocked the hell out of him. Him...and Shika...like _that_? He shuddered. He couldn't even imagine him and his best friend in that...uh...position.

What the hell? How was he going to face Shikamaru tomorrow. Oh god... Naruto blushed immediately as thoughts and images of their..._activities_...ran through his head.

Oh god, he would never, _ever _be able to look Shikamaru in the eye again.

A few hours later, Kiba had the privilege of being the middle man between an avoiding Shikamaru and a blushing Naruto.

"Alright. This is stupid. What the hell is up with you two? First it was just Shika, but now you're acting weird too Naruto."

"It's nothing." Naruto mumbled and turned to stare out the window. Such interesting...fields...and trees, yeah, fields and trees.

"Like he said. Nothing." Shikamaru agreed and then went silent.

"I swear, I think you two need to get laid or something." Kiba grumbled, deciding to leave the two brooders alone.

Shikamaru suddenly went into a choking fit from the water he was drinking.

"WHAT?" Naruto squeaked, his eyes wide, the blush returning full force to his face.

"What? You two do. Maybe you'd both quit being so uptight."

"But...But...Shika's my best friend! We're not like that!" Naruto yelled.

"Huh?" Kiba looked confused as he glanced at Naruto and Shikamaru. "OHHHH! You idiots! I didn't mean it like that! I meant get laid with separate people."

"Oh." Naruto looked down, the shock and indignation deflating, but the blush still lingering out of embarrassment. Though he was relieved, he still didn't dare glance at Shikamaru.

**xxx**

Minato was enjoying his quiet time reading the paper when there was a knock at the door. He sighed and stretched, then got up to answer it. Opening the door, he found a more subdued than normal Shikamaru. Well, then again, it's not like he was ever all that enthusiastic, but he just seemed to be down.

"How are you Shika? Looking for Naruto."

"Uh, yeah...I am. I'm ok. You?"

"I'm good." Minato didn't bother being hospitable beyond that. Shikamaru was practically family anyway and knew his way around the entire house. "Hey chibi! Shika's coming up." He yelled.

Shikamaru sighed and made the trek up the stairs to his friend's bedroom and knocked at the door before peeking inside. Naruto had on a set of headphones and was bobbing his head to whatever music was blaring through them while flipping through a magazine. When the blond finally noticed the extra feet in the room, he glanced up, saw who it was and immediately blushed and looked back down at the floor.

That was exactly the reason why Shikamaru was here. He sat down on the bed and pulled off the blond's headphones. Naruto didn't bother whining about the loss of them.

"We need to talk." Naruto nodded and slumped a bit. He had figured that was the reason Shikamaru was there.

"Alright."

Shikamaru knew he had to start...but he wasn't really sure where to begin. His fingers made their way into a familiar thinking pose he used.

"Look...I...This whole dream thing...It's taken this really uncomfortable turn that I wasn't expecting." Naruto snorted.

"You've got that right."

"I don't love you...not like that."

"I don't either."

"So there shouldn't be anything to worry about...right?"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Shika, I now have intimate details of exactly what you look like without clothes, exactly what makes you get off, and all the perverted things you like that no one knows about. How exactly do I just brush that off?" Shikamaru blushed and chuckled uncomfortably.

"Yeah, well, it wasn't exactly fun for me either. Why do you think I've been avoiding you for the last 4 days? I wasn't sure what to do or say or what... Look, the thing is, we have to remember what we see is all in the past. The future is now. We had our time together and obviously we were happy with one another. even though we weren't exactly 'soulmates'. But this time we want to be happy with the people we were _supposed _to be happy with. And I think once we're happy with them, the past will fade. If you think about it, we don't have the dreams every day anymore. That means the events in our lives are slowing down. I doubt there are many real significant moments left that need to be revealed to us. The memories of our past life, I think, were revealed to point us in the right direction. Now we have to make our own future."

"I understand all that. But god, did it have to be so explicit? I really could've done without knowing every single one of your favorite spots."

"Same here. And I could've done without knowing that I had a fetish for clones." Naruto snickered at that.

"Well, I guess if nothing else, I could always share my intimate knowledge of you with Chouji." Naruto said with a grin.

"Same with Sasuke." Shikamaru smirked.

"Don't you dare!"

"Don't tempt me Namikaze."

**xxx**

The truck stopped in front of Naruto's house and the blond climbed in with a grin.

"Mornin."

"What's up man." Kiba grinned and sped off.

"Jeez dog breath! Could you wait til I pull on a seatbelt? And dammit Shika, move your lazy ass over! You're taking up too much space."

"Too troublesome."

"You find breathing too troublesome." Naruto replied wtih a roll of his eyes.

Kiba laughed and shook his head. It seems things were finally back to normal.

* * *

**Age 18**

The entire gang sat at four tables in the restaurant they frequented. It was a ramen shop called Ichiraku's. "The Gang" was no longer composed of just Naruto, Shikamaru, Kiba and Chouji. It had now expanded to include what would've been called the Konoha 12 in Naruto and Shika's dreams if they weren't missing one person. _He_ was always the missing person, even now.

They all laughed and joked around while they ate their various bowls of ramen. It was a sort of a farewell to high school party. Many of them already knew which university they would be attending. In fact, most of them would be at the same school. Konoha University. Neji and TenTen had already enrolled last year when they graduated. Naruto, Shikamaru, Shino, Sakura, and Hinata had all gotten accepted as well. Ino decided to go into fashion design while helping her parents with the family floral business. Chouji was going to culinary school. Kiba decided not to bother with college. He knew he wasn't the smartest in the bunch and he liked working in his family's kennels. So he decided to work the place full time and give his mother more time to relax. Lee, who they met a couple of years ago, decided to help his Uncle Gai run his dojo.

Shikamaru was happy to find out that the university wasn't far from Chouji's family home. They'd already welcomed him and Naruto to come by anytime. And Shikamaru planned to take them up on the offer. A lot. After his talk with Naruto, he had finally come to terms with his feelings for his friend. He'd yet to voice it though. And he wasn't sure how he would do it. But, considering what happened in his other life, there was no way he was going to allow the opportunity to pass him by. Who knew what could happen tomorrow?

With that in mind, he decided to go out and get some air. He knew only two people would follow. Naruto or Chouji. He hoped Naruto would understand what was happening and stay away. He leaned against the brick wall and waited. Squeaky hinges had him tensing up nervously. But he didn't want to look up.

"You okay?" Good, it was Chouji. He took a deep breath and let it out. Then he raised his head and let his eyes rest on his friend.

"Yeah. I just needed some air." Who knew he needed to bolster up courage for this? "Uh...Chouji?"

"Yes Shika?"

"Have you ever been in love?" He looked away immediately, so he didn't get a chance to see Chouji blush scarlet at the question.

"Uh. Yeah, maybe. You?"

Well, there was his chance. Now could he take it?

"Yeah...well, I mean, I'm in love with someone now."

"Oh." Shikamaru noticed the sound of disappointment in Chouji's reply and it gave him hope. "Anyone I know?"

"I..." Shikamaru sighed in frustration and clenched his hand into a fist. "Dammit, this is too troublesome." He turned and looked Chouji straight in the eye. "It's you...I'm in love with you."

"Me?" Chouji asked, his eyes wide in surprise. Shikamaru shrugged.

"Yeah. That much of a surprise?"

"Well...yeah. But, why me? There are a lot of people better than me."

"No Chouji. There is no one better than you. You're kind to everyone and you do your best at everything. And that's only the beginning." Shikamaru reached out and took Chouji's hand. "Once upon a time, I waited too long to tell someone how I felt. I lost him soon after. I won't let that happen again." He stepped closer to his friend and more. "Let me show you how much I love you."

Chouji couldn't stop blushing with Shikamaru so close to him, but he nodded.

Shikamaru tried to calm his racing heart as he leaned forward and did the one thing he'd been dreaming of doing for months, years...heck, maybe a lifetime.

He kissed Chouji.

Chouji kissed him back shyly, having never been kissed before. Shikamaru flicked his tongue over the soft lips, seeking permission for more, and Chouji hesitantly gave it to him. He wasted no time sliding his tongue inside the hot cavern and getting to know every inch of that mouth all over again. Without concious thought, his hands slid over his friend's body reacquainting himself with what he had lost such a long time ago.

The last fleeting thought Shikamaru had was how much he had missed this feeling.

Naruto smiled from his spot in the corner booth. He had discreetly slipped away from the rest of the gang with the excuse of needing to find the bathroom. He had a perfect view of his two friends outside. In a way, he kind of felt like a voyeur. But, he couldn't resist making sure his friends worked out. He was happy for Shikamaru and Chouji. They had found each other again and he hoped they would be happy together for a very long time. He glanced over at the rest of his friends who continued to party unknowing of the romance blooming just a few yards away from them. It's kind of funny how all of them were, slowly but surely, pairing up with the same people they had been with before. Almost all of them were dating or liked someone in the group.

Except him.

The smile wavered just a bit.

Shikamaru found his soulmate again in Chouji. He wanted his soulmate...Sasuke.

There was no Uchiha Sasuke in Konoha or it's vicinity. After much research with Shikamaru, he found there weren't even any Uchihas in Japan. He tried to stay positive, but with each passing year of nothing he was beginning to lose hope. Unbidden, tears welled in his eyes, but he refused to allow them to fall. He couldn't give up. Not now. If he did, he would want to die. He couldn't go through finding another person to love again. It would kill him. Finding love with Shika was a coup. While not soulmates, they'd found mutual love with one another and they were able to live out the rest of their lives happily.

But Shikamaru had Chouji now. And he knew Shikamaru wouldn't let him go this time.

Naruto finally understood what the past Naruto felt. Although he had his parents this time, as well as his friends, he felt so alone.

* * *

**Age 21**

They were on break from university classes. So, Naruto and Shikamaru were doing something they hadn't done in a long time. They sat on Naruto's back porch and looked at the clouds.

His parents were on vacation somewhere, so Naruto had the house to himself. It was good, because lately he'd had to work harder at hiding his feelings from them. His father kept asking him if he was ok. And he kept telling him he was fine, even if it was sort of a lie. He'd never told them anything about his dreams over the years because he knew they'd think they were just regular dreams. Besides, once he knew Shikamaru was experiencing the same thing, it was easier just to talk to him. Like now, he was venting his sadness and frustration.

"I don't know what to do anymore Shika."

"Don't give up Naruto. He's out there somewhere. We'll just have to find him."

"What if he doesn't want to be found? Maybe he changed his mind." Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

"Don't be an idiot. You never broke your promises. And I doubt he would break his." Naruto used his overly long locks to hide his face. He couldn't help the negative thoughts that always came to him at night and he voiced those worries to his best friend.

"He's probably happy living his own life without an idiot like me in it. He was always trying to push me away before."

"Maa, when did you become such a cynical person? What happened to the stubborn, never give up and say die Naruto I remember?" Shikamaru sighed. "Troublesome blond. Look, it's very simple. Do you love him?"

"Yes. Of course I do."

"Then wait for him."

**xxx**

Naruto had his books and papers strewn all over the back porch. He had come home for the weekend, needing a break from the loud dorms so he could study. Finals were next week and he hoped to do well on them. If he did, he and Shikamaru would graduate together a year early. Shikamaru came home as well, hoping for silence. It was nice, because his mom and dad had gone to visit Grandma Tsunade and wouldn't be back until tomorrow, giving him absolute peace and quiet.

The breeze played with his unruly spikes, but he hardly noticed. His head was deeply buried in a literature book. He was so intent on studying, he didn't even hear a car pull up. Or a car door open and close. He didn't hear the knock at the door from the back of the house. He never heard footsteps that moved over the grass.

Nope, Naruto didn't hear a thing. He flipped a page and reached over to grab his glass of lemonade and raised it to his lips.

"Hn...I never pictured you as the studying type...dobe."

The glass slipped from Naruto's hand and bounced down the stairs to finally shatter on the last step. The hand that previously held the glass shook. He was afraid to look up. Afraid the person with that deep sensual voice he remembered so well would disappear just like in his dreams.

A deep chuckle came from the man. "Usuratonkachi, you planning to say something anytime soon?"

Despite Naruto's reservations, he couldn't help himself. He had to know...had to see if this was real. He bit his lip, then looked up slowly. It started at the feet clad in elegant shiny black shoes, up the black well pressed slacks that slightly hugged the thin hips and were held up by a black leather belt with a silver buckle, up the white shirt that was unbuttoned just enough to show the pale skin that was so familiar. He gulped before gathering enough courage to go any farther. His eyes focused first on the lips that were curled into that smirk that he loved so much, yet hated enough to want to punch it off his face, then the nose slightly upturned in that elegant manner, of course the eyes...so deep and dark he could drown in them, and lastly, the hair that only HE could have - blue black, slightly spiking up in the back.

"S-Sasuke..." Naruto whispered as if just saying the name aloud would make the image disappear. He shakily stood.

The man moved. He slowly walked up the stairs and stopped at the step below his so that the onyx eyes were level with sapphire blues.

"I finally found you Naruto."

Naruto found a stronger voice this time. "Sasuke? It's really you?"

"Yeah dobe. It's really me." Sasuke replied, his lips twitching into a smile. Naruto slowly smiled. It turned almost blinding in intensity. He was really here.

Sasuke didn't allow him to dwell on any thoughts any longer as he yanked the blond forward and kissed him...pouring endless years of love into the kiss. Naruto moaned and wrapped his arms around the man, truly the one of his dreams, and kissed him back with everything he had. He'd waited forever for this man.

When they broke apart, Sasuke's pale fingers traced the tanned face, not caring that the fingers came away wet with salty tears from the blond man. He couldn't really talk since he had tears of his own in his eyes. "God I missed you, Naruto. You have no idea."

"I think I do."

And then they were kissing again, taking the time to explore and map out every inch of their mouths. When they finally separated again, Naruto punched him. Not too hard, but just enough to hurt.

"What the hell was that for dobe?"

"Dammit teme, you left me! And what the hell happened to you? I've been waiting all this time. Bastard! I searched all over Japan for you." Naruto looked down. "I was...I was scared you'd changed your mind," he muttered.

"Idiot! Like I would change my mind about you." Sasuke ran his fingers through his hair. "I'm sorry, alright? I'll tell you everything. Just calm down and give me a minute dobe."

Naruto lost the glare he had and backed away, then grabbed up his books and piled them in a shady corner. Studying could wait. While he was moving around the porch, Sasuke took the time to study the blond. He was taller this time around...probably due to a much better diet than ramen for breakfast, lunch and dinner like he had back then. He still had that bronze skin and the expressive eyes were as blue as ever. The cheeks were smooth and whiskerless. Surprisingly, he missed the distinctive markings that made Naruto stand out. The blond hair was somewhat longer, less shaggy and more of a controlled kind of spiky. Without a Konoha headband, some of the strands fell over his face and into his eyes to be frequently brushed aside and out of the way. Shockingly, there was a distinct lack of orange. He almost laughed at that. It had been so much a part of Naruto, he never really imagined him without the garish color. But he looked quite handsome in the baggy jeans and pale blue t-shirt he wore. From the way the muscles moved under the snug shirt, he could tell Naruto was just as muscular as he was before.

In a word, Naruto was HOT! Not that he was about to reveal that little tidbit. No use of that information going to his head.

Speaking of Naruto's head, it was in his face.

"Come with me." Naruto said softly with a smile. He reached out and took Sasuke's hand and intertwined their fingers. Sasuke allowed himself to be pulled along. "Normally, this is Shika's spot, but I'm sure he won't mind if you borrow it." Naruto sat down and pulled Sasuke down next to him.

"Shika?"

Naruto laughed. "Yeah, the Naras live down there." He pointed at the only house he could see to the east of them. "And Kiba lives beyond there. We all grew up together."

"Hn." Sasuke was somewhat surprised that Naruto was surrounded by some of the same friends. Naruto smiled at the expression on Sasuke's face - which was interesting in itself since he'd never shown expressions before.

"That's nothing. Wait until you meet everyone else. The whole gang's right here in Konoha."

The smile slowly disappeared replaced with a look that Sasuke knew well. It was that vulnerable look the blond always got when he was hurt. Naruto was about to let go of the pale hand in his but the grip on his hand tightened, so he happily complied with the silent suggestion from Sasuke. "So, tell me why. Why did you leave?"

"I...I couldn't stay." At first, he turned his head away so Naruto couldn't see his face. Then he turned back. He wouldn't hide anymore...not from Naruto. "No matter how much I might try to block them out, the memories were still there. Even if they razed the whole district and replaced it with new buildings, it still wouldn't change what I saw in my mind. It hurt too much to stay. Don't think it wasn't hard though. Despite everything, while I was away, I began to realize that our bonds would never break. But I was too selfish and too much of an emotional wreck to ever admit how much you meant to me. I always pushed you away...too busy trying to avenge my family. I think that's the only reason Madara was able to get me to join him. He knew I was in pain. And he knew how confused and unstable I was. He took full advantage of that." Sasuke sighed and placed his chin on top of Naruto's hair.

"Even when you snuck me into Konoha to deal with the elders, I knew I couldn't stay, even though I wanted to because I knew it was what you wanted. But the type of person I had become would've made you miserable. And I didn't want that for you. You meant far too much for me to subject you to that person. Also I knew if I left, you would try to follow me. You would never let me be, just like before. That's why I made you promise to live your life and become hokage. I didn't want you to give up your dream just for me. I wasn't worth it." He mumbled.

Naruto allowed the words to sink in. Finally he replied. "It hurt like hell when you left that last time. But you're right. I would've followed you anywhere Sasuke. I wanted so badly to go after you, but you made me promise not to, damn you."

"I'm sorry." Naruto looked up with a smile lighting up his face and bumped his shoulder against Sasuke's.

"Don't be. You're here now. Even if it did take longer than I wanted it to."

"Yeah...sorry about that too. It's all my father's fault for uprooting the entire family and moving to America when I was still a baby."

"So you've been in America all this time?" Sasuke nodded. "No wonder Shika and I couldn't find you."

"Yeah." Sasuke sighed and pulled the blond down to lie on his lap while he leaned back against the wooden railing. He slowly ran his fingers through Naruto's surprisingly soft blond hair, watching him relax and close his eyes with a sigh. "We lived in New York and my father, being the cold ambitious person he is, worked his way up the corporate ladder until he became Vice President. I'm sure you don't care about that though. Anyway, I attended school, got straight A's, graduated from high school as top in the class..."

"Yeah yeah, typical Uchiha. Rub it in bastard." Sasuke laughed. Naruto looked shocked. In all the memories he had of Sasuke, he never remembered hearing him laugh before. It was a wonderful sound he hoped to hear a lot more.

"My family didn't change much from before. My father still doted on Itachi and thought I wasn't going to amount to anything. My mother was still beautiful and kind. Itachi is different though. Actually, I've never asked and he's never told, but I think he remembers the past too. Maybe that's why he never allowed father to treat me the way he did before. He always spent time with me and never let father cause a rift between us. Because of that, he and I stayed close."

"That's good."

"Yeah. Actually, he's outside." Naruto sat up.

"No way! Really?" Sasuke pushed him back down.

"Yes, but he'll have to be entertained by the radio and a book for a while. He said he would wait for me no matter how long I took. Now...where was I? Oh, then the dreams started when I was 10. I saw my entire life from beginning to end, every good or bad thing that happened to me. It's sad to look back and know that the best thing that happened to me in my entire life was you and that I let you slip through my fingers."

Naruto smiled and sat up to press his lips to Sasuke's in a gentle kiss. Sasuke smiled and ran a finger over the tanned jawline.

"Because of my location, I knew I would have to be the one to find you. I figured you probably lived in Konoha, but I couldn't do anything until I was out of school. I studied like mad so I was able to skip a grade so that I could graduate from high school a year early. I was fully intent on coming back to Japan right after graduation, but father wouldn't allow it. He made me go to college in the states. I hated him more for that than anything. Itachi kept me from losing it over the next four years of waiting. Of course, he knew about my dreams. And he helped when I started searching for you while I was in school. I was such an idiot though." He chuckled.

Naruto raised a brow, wondering what was so funny.

"I forgot your last name most likely wouldn't be Uzumaki in this time." Sasuke laughed some more. "I wasted a whole year looking for _Uzumaki _Naruto, when I should've been looking for _Namikaze _Naruto. Once we had the right name, it didn't take that long to locate you. So as soon as I had my degree in my hand a few days ago, I packed my belongings and hopped on a plane with Itachi. And here I am. So, that's my story. What about you? How's it feel having a family?"

Naruto smiled. "It's awesome! My father is so cool! And mom is the sweetest person in the world. If you come back tomorrow, you can meet them. Actually, if you don't already have a place to stay, you can stay here. Itachi can stay in the guest bedroom and I can sleep-"

"With me?" Naruto blushed and Sasuke grinned at the sight.

"Pervert!"

"Only with you." Sasuke laughed as Naruto turned a new shade of red. He wrapped an arm around the blushing blond.

They were quiet for a while and Sasuke closed his eyes. He still felt a bit of jet lag and between the warm body next to him and the breeze he felt comfortable enough to start dozing lightly. Naruto was thinking about the man next to him. Sasuke was nothing like his old self. He was so much lighter, freer. He seemed at peace with life and himself. It would take some getting used to. But he definitely could get to like this new Sasuke.

"Tell me more. I want to know all about you." Sasuke whispered in Naruto's ear. Naruto's ears turned red and he shivered slightly at the lips being so close to his ear.

"Alright. Well, we used to live in the city, but I guess dad wanted more peace and quiet, so he moved us out here when I was five. As I said before, Shika, Kiba and I grew up together."

"So, you and Shikamaru again huh?" Sasuke felt a slight bit of jealousy.

"Yeah. Actually it came in handy when we both started having weird dreams of ninjas and stuff."

"Hn." Naruto couldn't help but laugh at the sound. It had been so long since he'd heard the famous Uchiha grunt.

"The worst though was when we started having dreams of us together. Oh god, we avoided each other like the plague. It took a week for us to get over that. He and Chouji are together of course."

"Of course."

"Unlike _some _people, I did not get straight A's and I wasn't the top in the class. But I held my own. And if I pass these finals next week I'll be getting my degree in English. I want to be a writer." Sasuke raised a brow at that.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I've been thinking of writing stories based on my dreams."

"Why would you want to do that?"

"I don't know. I just feel like I don't want our former life to be forgotten. Even in the history books there's nothing about ninjas or anything. Even if it's in the form of fictional stories, I just want that time to live on somehow."

"With fictional names obviously."

"Of course."

Sasuke chuckled. "You're different dobe."

"Heh, you're one to talk. So are you. I like it." Naruto stood up and pulled Sasuke with him. "Now come on. I want to meet your brother in a normal fashion for once."

**xxx**

"Good luck chibi." Naruto cringed at the nickname and glanced out of the corner of his eye to see Itachi smirk and Sasuke snicker. He was never going to live that down. He glared at his father.

"Yeah, thanks dad." There was a subtle sarcasm in the statement as he hugged him.

"Yes sweetie. I'm sure you'll do just fine." He hugged his mother too.

Minato smiled at the two Uchihas. "And you two, feel free to come visit anytime. You're always welcome here." They nodded their thanks and all three waved their goodbyes.

Outside, Shikamaru was just strolling up, looking as lazy as ever. He saw the two dark haired males, one of them with oh so distinctive spikes in back and he couldn't keep the smirk off his face as he walked up to Naruto. "So I see you found a missing person, Naruto."

Naruto turned and grinned at his friend. "More like he found me."

"Ah." With hands in his pockets, he lazily moved to stand in front of the younger Uchiha and leveled his gaze at him. "Uchiha."

"Nara." They stared at each other for a moment, sizing each other up.

"I'll kill you if you hurt him again." Shikamaru threatened. Sasuke nodded solemnly.

"Fair enough."

And the moment was over. Shikamaru glanced at Itachi and gave him a nod in greeting.

"Well now that you two are done with your male posturing, can we go? I've got class in a couple of hours and I wanna get some Ichiraku Ramen!" Sasuke raised a brow at Naruto, Itachi chuckled and Shikamaru smirked, already knowing what the two Uchihas were thinking. Sasuke laughed and shook his head.

"Dobe, you haven't changed a bit."

* * *

**Age 23**

The Konoha 12 were finally back together again. Of course, only three people understood the actual significance.

And the occasion? Shikamaru and Chouji's engagement.

After graduation, Shikamaru, genius that he is, had no problem finding a job, even if at first glance he looked completely unmotivated. Programming computers was a perfect job for the lazy man. He could use his mind and sit as his desk all day.

Chouji, through his sensei, was able to find employment as a chef at one of the nicest restaurants in Konoha. It had it's advantages. Like tonight, they allowed him to use the banquet room for the party for free. He impressed them all with his skills and tricks on the hibachi grill.

The two had moved in together as soon as they had accumulated enough money to do so.

As for Sasuke, soon after finding Naruto, he and Itachi called home and told their father that they were going to stay in Japan. Of course, father Uchiha wasn't happy, but since they were both grown, he couldn't force them to return to America. With their name and connections, finding employment would've been an easy task, but they refused to acknowledge their connection to their father at interviews. They wanted to be hired on their own skills. Itachi, since he'd gone to law school already, began working at a prestigious law firm. Sasuke, coincidentally, ended up working at the same company his father left, but in a different department. The two of them shared a large condo...large enough so that if Sasuke didn't want to, he never had to see Itachi. They were both able to get privacy when they wanted, and a little brother bonding time if and when they so desired it. Although, lately, Sasuke had been spending less and less time at home.

It also didn't take long for Naruto to find work after graduating. Through a friend, he was hired at the Konoha Times. He started at the bottom and has been slowly working his way up. Now he has his own column running twice a week, along with being editor for a couple of colleagues. He's also been working on his dream of writing books, using his spare time to start the manuscript for his first book. He missed the country, but he liked the city too because he liked to watch the hustle and bustle. He bought himself a small one bedroom apartment - just enough for himself until he could save up money for something bigger. Besides, his apartment was close to work so he didn't need a car, although he did have the one he received as a graduation present. But he leaves it back at home. For a while, he thought it would be lonely being in a place by himself, but Sasuke tended to invite himself over. In fact, the Uchiha had been coming over so often, Naruto finally just gave him a key. Now, Sasuke spent more time at his home than his own.

Right now, Naruto was watching and laughing at an already drunk Kiba doing off kilter impressions of famous people. He leaned against Sasuke, who he could feel shaking with quiet chuckles of his own. Even now, Sasuke was not the most vocal individual. If that was the case, he wouldn't be Sasuke. But, he was content to be silent and watch the others with a small smile. After being introduced and spending time around the lively group, he was reminded that his old self never really cared to know any of his classmates. Once the massacre happened, he isolated himself. Now though, he gets to see his former classmates and teammates in a new light. Yes, they all had their quirks, but they were all good people. And now he was happy to say all of them were his friends.

Bit by bit the crowd began to thin as hugs and goodbyes were given to the happy couple. The small wedding would be in a few weeks and they were all invited. Naruto would stand with Shikamaru and Kiba with Chouji. Of course, that's not how it usually goes, but who really cares about tradition!

"Hey Naruto man!" Speaking of tradition, Kiba, who always ended up drunk at a party, (why they didn't confiscate alcohol like they did for Lee, Naruto would never know) came up and threw an arm around the blond. "You gotta come visit man. It's boring without you around." Then he tripped over the leg of a chair and would have fallen to the floor if not for Naruto. He shook his head.

"I swear Kiba. Only you could get completely smashed while it's still daylight. You sure as hell aren't driving anywhere."

"No problem! I've got it covered. Hinata's gonna take care of me...Right babe?" He yelled in Hinata's direction. She blushed at suddenly being put in the spotlight.

"Leave poor Hinata alone. Hinata, you don't have to take care of this idiot if you don't want to."

"Aw man Naruto, how could you treat your best buddy so mean?" Kiba grumbled and stumbled off toward his girlfriend with a wave.

Naruto grinned and walked back toward Sasuke who was talking with Shikamaru.

"So, you're going to do it?"

"Hn." Sasuke nodded. Shikamaru clapped him on the shoulder.

"Good luck man."

"What's he need luck for?" Naruto asked, hearing the tail end of the conversation.

"Nothin." Shikamaru said with a shrug.

"You ready dobe?"

"Yep." The two lovers said their goodbyes and left the waning party behind.

The sleek black sedan made it's way out of Konoha and sped toward an unknown destination. Naruto leaned his head on the door, allowing the stiff breeze to scatter his blond strands in all directions. Oasis played on the radio and Sasuke drove with one hand, leaving the other to intertwine with a tanned one.

"So, you going to tell me where we're going?" Naruto asked watching the trees zoom by.

"You'll see when we get there. It's a surprise." Naruto instantly became more alert and sat up. A surprise? It was a well known fact that the blond loved surprises.

"You gonna give me a hint?"

"It's a _surprise _dobe. Why would I give you a hint?"

"Please?"

"No."

"Pretty pleeeease?"

"No."

"Come on Teme!"

"Shut up dobe or I'll turn around and take you home."

Naruto changed his mind. He thought Sasuke was different. NOT! Sasuke was still the same bastard he always was. Damn teme... He huffed and crossed his arms as he turned his head away and glared out the window.

Sasuke grinned at the blond's reaction.

Another half an hour passed. Sasuke pulled over on the side of the road, parked, and got out the car. Naruto opened the door and stepped out.

"What are you doing?" He watched Sasuke pull a shovel out of the car and walk toward the forest.

"Walking. Come on."

"Where?"

"Dammit dobe, quit asking stupid questions and come on. I'd like to get there before it gets dark."

"Fine bastard. I swear, you sometimes really piss me off."

"Tch, same here. Shows us some things haven't changed."

Naruto glared at Sasuke's back as he walked behind him. After a five minute walk, Sasuke stopped in front of a tree. Naruto looked around confused. Where was his surprise?

"Uh...teme?"

Sasuke didn't acknowledge Naruto at all. He was staring for a moment at the tree, then stared down at the place in front of him. He sighed and took the shovel in his hand and with a bit of force pushed it into the ground right at the base of the tree. "I hope it's still there." he mumbled.

Naruto sighed and pouted slightly. He was wondering what the hell Sasuke digging in the dirt had to do with his surprise.

Ten minutes later the shovel hit something that wasn't dirt and Sasuke smiled softly. Getting on his knees, he reached into the small hole he made and pulled out a wooden box.

"What's that?" Naruto asked peering over Sasuke's shoulder.

"A box."

Naruto rolled his eyes. Obviously...he could see _that_. "No duh. You could elaborate you know."

"I could."

"Dammit teme! You're such a bastard." Sasuke's smile turned into a smirk.

"I know. Have a seat."

Naruto looked at him skeptically, but Sasuke had already taken a seat and crossed his legs as he leaned against the base of the tree. So, Naruto shrugged and flopped down, with no grace whatsoever, next to him. He watched a pale hand almost lovingly, reverently brush dirt from the top of the box.

"I was hoping this would still be here." He started softly. "I was always afraid that either someone would dig it up accidentally or that some developer would decide to raze the forest. I lined the box with chakra so that it wouldn't corrode over time." Sasuke, with a slightly trembling hand, opened the box. "I haven't seen this since I put it here many many years ago...times were so very different then. I decided I would not open this again until I could share it with you."

Naruto scooted closer until their shoulders and legs were touching and looked down into the box and glanced at the various items.

"These are some of my most precious possessions I accumulated over the years I traveled. When you...died...I came back for your funeral. It had been so long, I figured no one would recognize an old man as the man who had betrayed his village so long ago. The only person who recognized me was Shikamaru. Should've known I couldn't fool him." Sasuke grinned wryly. "Once everyone paid their last respects, he invited me to walk with him. He told me about you. About how you spent your life caring for the village, bringing peace to the elemental nations. He also told me about your life with him, about how you and he had learned to live and love again and be happy. He actually thanked me for that. I still don't understand why."

"Because...we learned to let go and live. I loved you. He loved Chouji. We lost both of you. If he and I had not ended up together, I doubt Shika would've ever been with anyone again. No one else would have understood like I did. You unknowingly gave him a new lease on life."

"Hn." Sasuke nodded in understanding and placed the box on Naruto's lap. He first pulled out a well worn yellowed piece of paper. "I'll never forget the day I found this."

Naruto took it from his hands and looked at it. He gasped when he recognized the handwriting. "Oh my god, this actually made it to you?"

"Hn. I would love to know how you managed that feat, but yes, it did. I must admit, it hurt that you found someone else, but at the same time, I was happy you had finally moved on. I was content with knowing that I would have my time again. I made my peace with that." Sasuke started pulling out little trinkets one by one and told the stories behind them. Daggers, a few pieces of jewelry, stones, a couple of scrolls, and a book. He saved the book for last. "Here. Take a look."

Naruto took the book from Sasuke and opened the plain black cover. He gasped at what was revealed, tears forming in his eyes. The first page held a familiar picture, one he never expected Sasuke to still have. "You kept it...all this time?" Sasuke nodded.

"It was the only picture I had of you. Before I left for the last time, I grabbed it. Whenever I felt alone, I took it out and remembered all the times I had with you. Who'd have thought I'd even care enough to remember huh?"

Naruto gave Sasuke a watery smile as he traced a finger over the picture lovingly. Team 7's first picture together. Sakura had such a beautiful smile that day. He was glaring at Sasuke, ready to punch him for some reason he coudn't even recall. Sasuke was giving the patented Uchiha glare to the camera. Kakashi had a hand on both of them to keep them from coming to blows. It felt strange knowing that he and Sasuke would now always have a reminder of their past life together.

He flipped to the next page not knowing what to expect. Sasuke's handwriting filled the page. As he began to read, he started to understand that what he was about to see was Sasuke's life away from Konoha without plans of vengeance to fill it. He stared in awe as he flipped through page after page of writing.

"How long is this?" Naruto softly asked.

"An entire lifetime." Sasuke replied just as softly. "Everything from the day I left you behind up to the day I took my last breath. You did ask me in that note to tell you about my travels, after all."

Naruto felt such an intense love swell in his heart. He thought he'd hear a few stories of worlds unknown. Never did he think Sasuke would go so far in order to share his adventures. He may not have been with Sasuke in person, but he would now have the privilege of seeing what Sasuke saw, hearing his thoughts, feeling his emotions. "I think..." He swallowed convulsively not wanting to cry again. "I think I'll take my time with this."

Sasuke gave him a slight smile. "I thought you might." Only one thing was left he had not revealed. And Sasuke tried to quell the nervous butterflies in his stomach that came with the idea of revealing it. He had thought about this for the last few weeks and really, could there possibly be a better moment than this? "There's one last thing."

Naruto looked in the box confused at not seeing anything else. Sasuke chuckled at the blond's confusion.

"I've never shown this to anyone, but I've had it since I was 7 years old." He rubbed a thumb against the item in his hand to reassure himself. "It was my mother's. The Sandaime gave it to me before they buried her. He knew she would have wanted me to have it. It's nothing really ornate or anything. It was simple, yet beautiful, like her."

Naruto hardly blinked. Sasuke had his complete attention from the moment he mentioned his mother. Before, Sasuke would have died a horrible death rather than mention anything about his deceased family. So engrossed was the blond that he didn't even notice Sasuke shift onto his knees in front of him.

"I know what her wish would be." Sasuke whispered. "Naruto, you have been, are, and always will be my most precious person. My mother would want me to pass this on to someone I love. And I will never love anyone more than you." Slowly allowing his fingers to open like a flower in bloom, he revealed a gold band with etchings carved all the way around it.

Naruto's breath caught as he picked up the ring. "It's beautiful."

"Yes, it is. And I would be honored if you would wear it forever." Naruto blinked. Then his eyebrows furrowed. Finally, his eyes went wide as the implications of the statement set in.

"You...A-Are you asking me..." His voice softly trailed off not quite believing.

"To marry me? Yes, I suppose I am." Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"Ask me again. And this time, try not to be so cryptically Uchiha about it." Sasuke rolled his eyes, but still chuckled. He'd humor his dobe.

"Alright then. Namikaze Naruto, will you marry me?" Naruto grinned, his eyes sparkling mischievously. He thought about toying with the teme, making him sweat a little, but as he looked at his lover waiting with such nervousness and seriousness, he couldn't bring himself to make light of things. So, he went with the most simplistic, clear answer he could give, and slid the ring on his finger.

"Yes."

Sasuke's intense look changed to one of relief and a smile lit up his face. He yanked the blonde into his arms and kissed him. Naruto couldn't stop smiling as he wrapped his arms around the slim Uchiha. Sasuke told him a long time ago that he would never let him go. Well, he wasn't going to let Sasuke go either.

Because he'd finally gotten his forever.

**a/n:** Well crap! I never planned the ending to be so incredibly sappy. I had something totally different in mind, but this is what came out of it. If you blame anything, blame my muse...it must've wanted sappiness. ^_^ Wow, this thing was a monster! Almost 15000 words of cuteness, humor, a bit of angst, and of course, happy endings. Well, thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed it. Please review and tell me you whether you liked it, hated it, laughed, whatever. XD


End file.
